European Aluminium applauds EU, Japan and U.S. agreement to tackle excess capacities collectively
Brussels, 13 December 2017- Yesterday, Cecilia Malmström, European Commissioner for Trade, Hiroshige Seko, Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry and Ambassador Robert E. Lighthizer, U.S. Trade Representative, agreed to strengthen trilateral cooperation in the WTO and other forums in order to battle unfair trade. European Aluminium, the voice of the entire aluminium value chain, welcomes the new commitment.
“The issue of severe excess capacity in key sectors exacerbated by government support was highlighted by important trade authorities. This recognition is great news for our industry as aluminium is one of the sectors affected by government-supported capacity expansion and unfair competitive conditions caused by market-distorting subsidies,” comments Gerd Götz, Director General of European Aluminium.
Since 2016, European Aluminium has been campaigning for a global negotiated solution to tackle the root causes of excess capacities.
“We hope this very timely trilateral agreement will urge G7 and G20 leaders to finally provide a collective response to the aluminium sector by creating a Global Forum on aluminium excess capacity.
A Global Forum could help define what excess capacity entails, increase transparent information sharing, and enhance cooperation,” concludes Götz.